University funding cuts

Commenting on the HEFCE grant letter, Dr Wendy Piatt, Director General of the Russell Group, said:

“Today’s announcement of a £150m in-year cut to university funding by HEFCE is disappointing. This cut will affect universities’ ability to invest for the future particularly in STEM subjects and research that will underpin economic growth.

“High-cost subjects like Physics, Chemistry and Engineering are already underfunded so a further cut would be extremely concerning. Tuition fee income alone cannot cover the high costs of teaching STEM subjects which are critical to the future growth of the UK’s economy. And we fear that funding per student will be squeezed even more as student number controls are removed. Outstanding teaching and internationally-competitive university education require proper levels of investment. And our international competitors are pumping billions of dollars into research and their leading higher education institutions.”